Mount for machine guns



March 1, 1927.

w. T. GORTON MOUNT FOR MACHINE GUNS 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Aug. 20, 1925 Walter -T'- Guricm March 1 1927.

w. T. GORTON MOUNT FOR MACHINE GUNS Filed Au 20. 1925 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 h. v \N'alter T- Eur'tun aircraft standard which ma Patented Mar. 1, 1927.

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WALTER '1. GORTON, OF THE UNITED STATES ARMY, SPRINGFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS.

MOUNT FOR MACHINE GUNS.

Application filed. August 20, 1925. Serial No. 51,461.

(GRANTED UNDER THE ACT OF MARCH 3. 1883; 22 STAT. I. 625.)

The invention described herein may be used by cers or employees in prosecution of work for the Government, or by any other person in the United States, without payment to me of any royalty thereon, in accordance with the act of March 3, 1883.

This invention relates to a mount for machine guns.

With the advent of aircraft in warfare and the employment of machine gun fire against it, it becomes necessary to design a mount especially adapted to permit high angle fire with proper aiming and manipulation of the gun. Inasmuch as the essential characteristics of this weapon are its mobility and adaptability, it is also necessary, in order that its employment may not be re stricted, to provide a mount which, while retaining its mobility, may readily be adapted for mounting the gun against either ground or aerial must be accomplished by combining to the greatest possible extent the requirements of simplicity, compactness and light weight withthe characteristics of rigidity and stability, convenience in adjusting the mount to itsfiring position on uneven ground and folding it for transportation and provision for accurate adjustment of the gun in azimuth and elevation.

For firing against ground targets, frequently over the heads of friendly troops, the gun must be capable of being operated from a low stable mounting, the gunner being in the sitting or prone position but for firlng against rapidly moving aerial targets where protection for the gunner is of no consideration a high mounting is essential to permit of aiming and manipulation of the gun.

To secure the advantages enumerated it is proposed in the present invention to provide a tripod mount wherein the cradle supporting saddle is so mounted in the tripod head as to permit without its removal the mounting in the pintle of the saddle of an anticonveniently constitute an extensible leg or ground firing and be carried within the trail leg.

In the interest of compactness and convenience in transportation it is further proposed to provide a novel arrangement of the saddle and azimuth sector which will the Government, or any of 1ts oftitargets. This dual purpose permit the use of a smaller sector than is usually employed. In effecting this object the saddle is provided with a foot of equal length with the sector so that the saddle will be supported muth equal to twice the length of the azimuth sector. While reducing the length of the sector so as not to interfere with the member of the gun crew who is assigned to carry the tripod the same will be entirely overlapped by the saddle foot when the, saddle parallels the trail leg and damage to the unit will not be so likely to occur.

To these and other. ends, my invention consists in the construction, arrangement, and combination of elements, described here inafter and pointed out in the claims forming a part of this specification.

A practical embodiment of the invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary plan viewof a tripod mount constructed in accordance withthe invention; n

Fig. 2 is a view in side elevation;

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary view of the mount with the anti-aircraft adaptor in place; and

Fig. dis a detail sectional view through the azimuth sector taken between the saddle plates.

Referring to the drawings by numerals of reference: 1

The mount is preferably in the form of a tripod and comprises a central cylindrical head or socket 6, a trail leg 7 rigid therewith, and a pair of adjustable front legs 8-8. This arrangement of legs provides for a reasonable degree of adj-ustmentto conform to the contour of the ground and insures rigidity and compact folding.

The trail leg is hollow and carries an anti-aircraft adaptor in the form of a standard 9 held in place by a clamp 10 and terminating so as to avoid damage by contact with the ground. In order that the standard may be utilized as an extension leg when firing at ground targets it or cleat 12 which purpose serves to limit the insertion of the standard within the trail leg. If desired, a cleat may be also provided on the rear endof the trail leg proper. The standard is adapted to be mounted vertically in the triis provided with a spade in addition to its usual through anangle of a'zi-.

in ayoke 11 whiohis slightly offset quirements outlined includes a saddle 13 formed by a pair of spaced arcuate plates 14; fixed forwardly to a hollow pintle 15 re ceivable in the tripod head 6 and about which the saddle revolves in azimuth. The aperture of the pintle is tapered as at 15 to support the standard 9. Modifications to permit the standard to be directly carried by the tripod head readily suggests themselves.

A convenient manner of mounting the gun for movement in elevation consists in providing an arcuate gun cradle 16 serving as an elevating are and having ribs 17 en- .gageable in corresponding grooves 13 in the saddle and also having peripheral teeth 18 which engage with an elevating shaft 19 j ournaled in a block 20 secured to the saddle. For the present purpose the gun could equally as well be trunnioned in the saddle itself 'in rear of the pintle and be connected to an elevating screw mounted in the free end of the saddle in a well known manner.

Secured as by welding to the under rear end of the saddle is a plate 21 towhich is riveted a foot 22 projectinglaterally fronr the saddle and resting on a base plate or azimuth sector 23 fixed to the trail leg 7. The foot 22 is of the same length as the azimuth sector in order to provide proper support for the saddle during its movement in azimuth while permitting normal scope of traverse with an azimuth sector of reduced length. This provision is made for the sake of compactness and convenience and so that the tripod may be easily carried without damage to the azimuth sector.

For the purpose of securing the saddle at any desired point in its movement in azimuth, the rear curved edge otthe foot 22 is formed with a lip 22 for receiving a corre sponding lip 2 1F011 the eomplementarily curved clamping plate 24. The clamping plate is forced downwardly by means of clamping handles 2525 to grip the lip. of the foot. The handles 25 are provided at both ends of the clamping plate to insure positive gripping of the foot when the latter is near either extremity of its movement with respect to the azimuth sector.

The clamping plate is inscribed with a scale 26 against which the sides of the saddle may register to indicate the amount of move ment in azimuth from any desired point.

While in the foregoing there has been illustrated and described such combination and arrangement of elements as constitute the preferred embodiment of the invention, it is nevertheless desired to emphasize the fact that interpretation of the invention should only be conclusive when made in the light of the subjoined claims.

I claim:

1. A toldable mount tor machine guns embodying a cylindrical head, a trail leg rigid therewith, a readily removable extensible leg in said trail leg terminating in an otl'set yoke capable oi trunnioning a gun, a cleat on said extensible leg adjacent the yoke, a saddle having a hollow pintle receivable in the head and itself positioned clear of the head, said pintle adapted to receive the extensible leg.

2. A mount for machine guns including a hollow head and a trail leg, a readily revmovable extensible leg'in' said trail leg terminating in a yoke capable of trunnioning a gun, a cleat on said extensible leg adjacent the yoke, a saddle having a hollow pintle receivable in the head and itself positioned clear of the head, said pintle adapted to receive the extensible leg.

23. A mount for machine guns embodying a cylindrical head, a trail leg connected therewith, a saddle having a hollow pintle receivable in the head and itself positioned clearot the head, and a standard normally carried in the trail leg but adapted to be vertically mounted in the hollow pintle, said standard formed with a yoke for trunnioning a gun. l

4-. A mount for machine guns embodying. a cylindrical head, a saddle having a hollow pintle receivable in the head, and a standard constituting anadaptor for mounting a gun for anti-aircraft fire receivable vertically in the hollow pintle.

5. A mount for machine guns embodying a head, a trail leg connected therewith,'and a standard normally carried in the trail leg and adapted to form an extension thereof, said standard including means for trunnioning a gun and further adapted to be vertically mounted in the head.

6. A combination machine gun mount embodying a tripod having a hollow head, a member pivoted in the head, said member adapted to support a gun for firing against ground targets, andan adaptor for supporting a gun for firing against aerialtargets, said adaptor being capable of vertical mounting in the pivot of said member.

7. A. combination machine gun mount embodying a tripod having a hollow head, a member mounted by said head for movement in azimuth and adapted to provide a low mounting for a gun, and an adaptor vertically receivable in the hollow head without removal of said member and providing a high mounting for the gun.

8. A combination machine gun mount embodying a tripod having a hollow head, a member mounted on said head for movement in azimuth and adapted to provide a low mounting for a gun and an adaptor vertically receivable in the hollow head and providing a high mounting for the gun.

- 9. A mount for machine guns embodying a head, a trail leg rigid therewith, a saddle pivoted in the head for movement in azimuth, a foot secured to the rear of the saddle and projecting laterally on each side thereof, said foot formed with a curved lip, an azimuth sector fixed to the trail leg and supporting the foot, said sector and foot being of the same length, a clamping plate carried by the sector and overlapping the lip of the foot, clamping handles on both ends of the plate, and an azimuth scale on said plate.

10. A machine gun mount including a trail, an azimuth sector fixed to the trail, a member pivoted in the mount for movement in azimuth, a foot secured to the rear of said member and projecting laterally on each side thereof, said foot being of the same length as the sector and supported thereby, and a clamping plate carried by the sector and operable to engage the foot.

11. A machine gun mount including a trail, an azimuth sector fixed to the trail, a member pivoted in the mount for movement in azimuth, a foot secured to said member, said foot being of the same length as the sector and supported thereby, and a clamping plate carried by the sector and operable toengage the foot.

12. A machine gun mount including a trail, an azimuth sector fixed to the trail, a member pivoted in the mount for movement in azimuth, a foot secured to said member, said foot being of the same length as the sector and supported thereby, and means for clamping the foot. 1

4 13. A machine gun mount includin a trail, an azimuth sector fixed to the trai a member pivoted in the mount for movement in azimuth, and a foot secured to said mem-' her, said foot being of the same length as the sector and supported thereby.

14:- A machine gun mount including a trail, a supporting plate fixed to the trail, a member pivoted in the mount for movement in azimuth, and a foot secured to said member and resting on the supporting plate, said foot and plate being of substantially equal length to permit maximum supported movement of the member with a supporting plate of minimum length.

WALTER T. GORTON. 

